Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
Following a great season of competition that saw numerous faces reach victory lane and show speed all year, the GCC Competition Corporation Mini Stocks are set to take to the track for their season opener on Saturday night. With a mix of returning and new faces, it’s going to be anybody’s guess who reaches victory lane during the season.
Cameron McGlashan is going to be a driver to watch after impressing in the Mighty Mini Division last year with a second place finish in points. McGlashan got stronger as the year went on, picking up three wins in the last six nights of the season. Already looking fast behind the wheel of his mustang, it shouldn’t take him long to get to the front.
Samantha Shaw is hoping that she’s one of the front contenders after enduring a frustrating year last season that saw her only post only two feature top-10s. If she can get her mustang handling as she wants, look for her to return to victory lane for the first time since 2014.
Eric Yorke proved last year that he could run with the front runners, scoring a victory and seven top-fives. A past division champion, it’ll be no surprise to see the DY Racing driver fast once again behind the wheel of his 240SX.
2015 Full Throttle Motor Speedway Mini Stock Champion Brandon Crumbie is set to join the fray this year. Always quick at the invitationals and in the top-five, he should be a tough contender over the course of the entire season.
Miles Tyson is set to do double duty this year, running both his Super Stock and Mini Stock. Tyson proved last year that he was fast, scoring the victory at Frostoberfest while running up front at Autumn Colours. If he can carry that speed over to Sunset, look for him to get to victory lane early in the year.
Andy Kamrath is always fast – there’s no question. A veteran behind the wheel, he scored three feature victories last season and seems to have that Honda Civic hooked up like no other. On the nights that he is in attendance, he’ll be a driver to watch.
Terry Woodley had to be the most consistent driver last year, as he scored 13 straight top-10 finishes during the season. He also proved that he had speed late in the year with a podium finish at the Velocity 250. He badly wants to get his first career victory, and it could very easily happen early this season.
A past division champion, Warren Paxton is also another driver to watch this year. He scored an invitational victory last season and was consistent with 12 top-10 finishes over the course of the season.
Dave Crumbie has to have one of the most unique cars, in the form of a Porche. With that said, he should be quick as he is always one to watch when it comes to invitational events.
Gerrit Tiemersma keeps getting stronger as a driver behind the wheel, in finding more speed to get himself closer to front. While he only posted one top-five last year, he should be someone that’s up front on a more regular basis this year.
Jake Watson also has continued to improve, and should be able to add to his total of five feature top-10s last year with more consistent strong finishes.
After taking some time off, Steeve Melson is making his return behind the wheel. A past regular at Barrie Speedway, it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to his new ride.
Stefan Woyslaw has continued to get stronger with each set of laps on track, scoring a heat victory in the Mighty Mini division last year. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to the challenge of the Mini Stocks this season.
Nic Montanari proved right out of the gate that he was fast last year, winning early in the year in the Mighty Mini division to get kicked up to the Mini Stock division. He then continued to get quicker, with a couple strong runs over the year. Expect that growth to continue this year.
Mike Robinson Jr. came close on a couple different occasions last year to scoring his first career victory, however found himself coming up short in every which way possible. Like Woyslaw, though, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the challenge of moving up a division.
Beyond those mentioned, there are a slew of other drivers that will be in the field, looking for success this season. So without a shadow of doubt, make sure you are at Sunset Speedway this Saturday night on April 30 for the season opener. Late models will time trial at 2:30pm EST, followed by Mini Stock and Mighty Mini heats. The Super Stocks will then take to the track for their heats at 4pm EST. Details and tickets can be found at http://www.sunsetspeedway.ca.
